How To Manage Cat Habits

Even having cared for many cats, pet owners realize that every cat is unique. With different habits, tastes and curiosities, cats each have different ways to express themselves. This isn’t necessarily information that a pet store can give owners, since they can only give general information about cats that may help the owners to ensure the animal is healthy. One of the best examples of individual behavior is scratching, which is a behavior owners cannot really stop. Cats engage in this behavior because they want to mark their territory by leaving a scent that humans can’t smell. They also do it to exercise or even because it feels good. Some cats may scratch more than others, but if it is consistently in an area that is destructive to the house, then a scratching post is always a great acquisition.

Sometimes cats will still like to scratch surfaces like furniture. This behavior can be minimized by attaching some double sided tape to the object which will make it altogether less attractive. Some owners use a water spray bottle to dis-encourage certain behaviors that are problematic. A sharp spray of water isn’t pleasant for the cat but neither does it hurt in any way, so it can be an effective way to regulate behaviors  Over time new habits will develop and the cat will become more obedient to the owner’s wishes. This process can take time however, a different amount of time for each individual cat.